Filing device



March 2 R926. i 3575,@211

' P. VAN vs isaNGN FILING DEVI GE Filed Oct. 10, 1923 l y M7 im, sww

Patented Mar. 2, 1926.

Nirnn stagg' PETER VAN VLISSINGEN, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO SYCO SYSTEMS COM` PANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

FILING DEVICE.

Application filed October 10, 192.3. Serial No. 667,733.

To all whomy t may concern.'

Be it known that I, PETER VAN VLissiN- GEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful` Improvements in Filing Devices, of which the following isa specification. Y

This invention relatesto improvements inl filing devices and more particularly. to spacing cards or index guides used in filing cases or the like.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a novel construction of devices of the character described, which affords improved facility in the filing of cards, papers or the like; and further, to provide spacing devices readily insertable or removable from the case, and adapted to assist in anchoring or retaining bulky' files or the like when tightly packed in the case. Other objects of my invention will appearfrom time to time as thedescription proceeds.

. My inventionmaybest be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, illustrating preferred embodiments thereof. In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a guide card or spacer constructed in' accordance with my invention. .Y

Fig. 2 is 'a view in perspective ofl a typical filing case partially filled with material, to-

gether with a plurality 'of my improved` guide cards or spacers, and showing a portion of the case broken away. y'

Fig. 3 is a view in longitudinal cross section ofa typical filing case with the spacer cards in position and filled with cards.

Fig. l is a View similar to Fig. 3, but with certain of the spacer cards and adjacent inaterial vtilted rearwardly to villustrate the ready accessibility to the filed material af forded by the novel shape of the guide cards.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of another case used for filing bulky files or packages of papers, in whichy instance my improved spacers serve to retain or anchor. the material in the case. v Y

Referring to details of the drawings, one form of my improved form of spacer uoi' guide card 5 is shown in Fig. 1 and coniprises a body portion 10, having a relatively or pliable material such as soft rubbei' or a similar composition, having sufficient cias-- icityt-o withstand frequent bending.

The spacers, when used as ak guide cai'd, are provided with a series of guide tabs 13, 13, arranged at suitable positions at the top margin of the body portion, and bearingl ,guide indicia 14, 14 inthe usual manner..

-In my improved construction I propose to form these tabs ofpliable material integral 1.ith the body of the card or spacer 10, whereby the cards maybe readily manipulated and handled byoperators during the use of the filing case without injury to the fingers. if

The spacer is adapted to be inserted and secured in the case by means of a wedgeshaped tongue or projection 15, preferably formed integral with the body. This tongue is provided with diverging lateial margins 16, 16 so as to be wider at the bottom than at the top, and has fitting engagement in a longitudinally disposed slot 17, formed in the bottoni of the filingcase 18. The walls of the slot are preferably inclined to receive the projection 15 as shown in Fig. 2.

vThe spacers may be readily inserted in or removed from the case by ti'lrning the spafers at an oblique angl-etc the slot 1T, and

.thus disengaging the projection, provided there 'is sufficient room in the case. vUnder many conditions, however, the case is partially filled with material making it impractical to manipulate the spacer in this manner. With the pliable or flexible composition described. however, I make it possible to bend the card at the center in alignment with the lateral margins 16, 16 of the tongue 15, sufficiently to insert or remove the tongue kfrom engagement with the slot, with only a minimum of displacement of adjacent material in the case. i

One application of my improved form of spacer devices is illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, in which a filing case Q0, is filled with a plurality of indexed cards 21, and in which a plurality of spacers 5, 5, are inserted at suitable intervals to serve as 'index guides. 'It will be noted that the cards 2l are closely packed in the case, and when standing -normally as in Fig. 3, `they `are all substantially upright. When it is desi-redt@ reiter to a certain card 21a, however, the material in the case can be parted or opened at any desired point, as shown in Fig. 4i regardless of how tightly the material is packed iii the case. This is due to the shape Q my iinrrved'spacer. 'cards 5,] which are thicker at His-base, than et' the ten, SQ-that the aser@- gate difference inl thickness between bottoni and top of all Of. Said ,Spacers revente the material to be parted suiiiciently at the top for ready reference thereto, although such material is still closely confined at'the bottoni iof the case, and thelatter is packed to maximum capacity.

I find itdesirable to make the base porltion llmof uniform thickness for a substan tial proportion oi" the total height of the spacer, before the tapered portion'lQ begins. In the preferred form said portion extends about one rhalf'the height of the .cord al,- though it is obvious that the relative .proportions maybe varied somewhat in either direction without materially affecting the desired results.y rThis arrangement affords an even pressure upon 'the lower part of the inaterial tol retainit in the case, and yet permits the upper portion of the lmaterial tobe parted or bent togetherwith the pliable- SraCe-fsii Showilv'Ai'iother application of the spacer devices is illustrated in Fig. 5, which representsa portion or section of a relatively long case VV25, in which are packed a pluralityof'bulky files 26, such als may be formedby folding many attached sheets of paper together to form a package thicker at'its center than at the margins thereof, as shown. It is conimon knowledge that such'bulkypapers have a tendency to bulge upwardly vinthe case when packed tightly in larg-'e numbers. This especiallyv troublesome when filing sliding drawers, in which ease the lpapers often become displaced-,while the drawery is being opened` or closed. By providing a plurality oi" my improved spacer devices positioned'at suit-able intervals in such a case or drawer, the papers oi' tiles 2.6, may be Vtightly packed therein as shown in 5 and yet will be engaged by friction between adjacent spacers 27 constructed in accordance with my invention so that saidv files cannot.l become displaced inasmuch as said spacers are anchored in the caset by means of the wedge-shaped projections l5, l5, engagingl in slot 17, in the same manner as heretofore described. In addition to their function as anchoring or retaining devices, the spacers may also be used as index guides.

Although I have shown and described one form in which my invention may be embodied, it will be understood that many changes in form and construction will occur to those skilled in the art without departing irom the spirit and scope of my invention. do not therefore wish yto -be understood as limiting myself to the construction shown and described herein, excepting in so far as specifically defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A spacing device for ling cases or the like consisting of a soft rubber.

2. A guide card comprising a body yand an .integral projecting guide tab for indicia, consisting of a sheet of soit rubber.

3. A pliable and flexible spacingl device 'for filing cases or the like having av body portion thicker adjacent its base VVthan adjacent its upper margin. v

el. A pliable and 'flexible spacing device 'for filing cases or thelike comprising a base pmtionol2 substantially uniform thickness, and an upper portion tapered upwardly in cross section from said baseportion.

5. A spacing` device for filing cases orv theV like comprising a base portion of substan' tially uniform thickness, and an upper portion'tapered upwardly in cross section from said base portion and consisting of pliable and iexible material, f f

6. A spacing dev-ice VKfor fil-ingcases yor the like, Ycons'istingvoi a pliable and flexible ma terial, a-nd hav-ing a projection atI its lower margin providedo-with interlocking lateral 'margins "adapted for engagement 'between venacting surfaces ofthe filing case.

7. A spacing device for filing cases or the like consisting ot a pliable and flexible material, and having projection at its lower margin provided with interlocking lateral margins adapted for engagement between coacting surfaces of the filing case and re leasable therefrom by flexing oi said spacing device.

8. In filing apparatus, a case having a longitudinally disposed slot, a plurality of spacing devices ea'ch consisting oi' a pliable' and flexible material andvprovided with a centrally disposed projection at. its lower margin having diverge-nt lateral margins adapted to be normally retained in sliding engagement in said longitudinally disposed slot. 1

9. In filing apparatus, a case having a longitudinally disposed slot, a plurality of. lpliable. and Vflexible spacing devices each comprising a-relatively, thick base and a relatively thin upper portion, and provided with a centrally disaosed projection` at its lower margin having'divergent lateral inarginsadapted to. be normally retained in llO sliding engagement in said longitudinally1 disposed slot.

l0. In liling apparatus, a case, a plurality of spacing devices each consisting of pliable and flexible material, comprising a relatively thick base portion of substantially uniform thickness extending substantially one liali the lieiglit of said spacing device, and an upper portion tapering upwardly in cross section from said base portion, and means 10 for retaining said spacing devices in said case.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 8th day of October, A. D., 1923.

PETER- VAN VLISSINGEN. 

